Automated storage systems are often used to store quantities of items and to present the items to a user for retrieval proximate an accessible loading/unloading point. Storage systems may include a carousel including a plurality of shelves, each shelf including a plurality of bins, where each bin may include one or more types of articles stored therein. Depending upon the size of the articles and the size of the bins, a plurality of each of the one or more types of articles may be stored in each bin for retrieval by a user. Automated storage systems may include a user interface in which a user may enter an article request or order by some identifying indicia (e.g., by name, identification number, etc.) and the automated storage system may advance the carousel to present the bin containing the article, or shelf containing the bin, to the user. The user may be directed to the appropriate bin through a display which identifies the location graphically or by alphanumeric indicator and to the appropriate article through a graphical or alphanumeric identifier.
In such automated storage systems, retrieval time for each article may depend upon how far the carousel must rotate or move between shelves or the “rotation time.” The speed of the carousel may be limited as the articles contained in the bins may be adversely affected by sudden movement or by frequent start/stop cycles at faster speeds. Further, the bin locations and contents may be undesirably shifted by higher carousel speeds. Thus, the distance the carousel must move between shelves may impart a significant time-delay in the retrieval of articles that are located further apart from one another (i.e., separated by a number of shelves).